Archives for January 2015

Parenting can be a tough job. Being a single parent can be even tougher.

Last week I was honored to be part of the Steve Harvey show, helping Steve with his Single Dad SOS segment.

Single Dad or not, we’ve all been in situations with our children where an outside perspective can help us move forward in a healthy way. This Dad has two teenage daughters. He is struggling to give them more independence as they grow up while at the same time offer guidance to help them flourish into respectable women.

I offered him some specific tips, including to stop trying to be his daughters’ friend and start being the parent who they need.

Click below to watch the entire segment.

What do you think? What do you think are the most important parenting tips you have ever heard or applied?

Stress can impact our physical and psychological health.

Because of this the benefits of calming yourself down when you are anxious are many. I recently shared some of the advantages to lowering our stress levels and calming down in a video on ShareCare – a website developed by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold as a home for your health.

View the full video by clicking this link and please share here any tips you have to calming yourself down when in a situation that is filled with anxiety.

Retirement does not mean everything stops.

Retired life looks very different for everyone. We all approach retirement differently, but for your health you need to ensure it has a purpose. This is your time and making sure it has a purpose can improve your health. In a recent interview with Everyday Health, a consumer health and wellness site, I shared one of my tips for bringing purpose to your retirement and the article offers 10 ways to live a more purposeful life.

We need to understand what being Perfect really means.

In a recent Interview with Fast Company Magazine, I shared four tips on how you can overcome your Inner Critic. And this is so important, because it is that Inner Critic inside us all that creates the All Or Nothing Mentality we have.

The voice that tells us one small step means nothing. The Inner Critic makes us believe a failed attempt is not a step on the road to success but a full and utter failure. Then this turns to the All or Nothing Mentality of … “Since I have failed, I just need to give up.”

Learn to silence that voice. Your Inner Critic. Take the steps and silence your Inner Critic and know that even small wins are wins and ones to be celebrated.

Taking time for yourself is a very important step to what I call True Success – feeling compressive satisfaction in your psychological well-being, physical health, relationships, career or calling, finances, fun and spiritual health.
In essence, being the best you possible and actually enjoying it.

I recently was interviewed by Alison Goldman for an article about this topic in Women’s Health Magazine. In it, I discussed the importance of prioritizing you. Not at the expense of others, but rather at the benefit to others.

Instead of calling this being selfish, which infers that you focus on yourself without regard for others, we referred to this concept as “selfitizing” – prioritizing yourself in addition to others.

Maybe you feel guilty about taking time out for yourself to go for a walk when you could be doing something for others (like making dinner for the family), or when you take a few hours of alone time to destress.

Here is my advice to you: Drop the perfectionism; it is not an all-or-nothing proposal. Just because you prioritize time for yourself does not mean you will suddenly become an egocentric, narcissistic jerk.

In fact, taking time out will can reduce your stress, boost your happiness and positively impact your health, all of which can have powerful benefits to your work and relationships.

In effect, taking time for yourself helps those around you, too!

One client wanted to go to yoga after work, but felt pulled to get home every afternoon as soon as she could. When she gave herself permission to go to a yoga class even just once a week, she noticed a huge change in how positively she interacted with her family.

An executive client found that riding his Harley helped him destress, but his wife complained each time he took off. After speaking with her about why it was important, he took 2 hours each weekend to ride his Hog. After two weeks, his wife was excited for him to go, knowing how he would return much happier and more engaged with the family.

How about you? Where else do you selfitize? Where would you like to selfitize?